


Iana Sânziana

by solitariusvirtus, tenten_d



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Abduction, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Cousin Incest, F/M, Iana Sânziana (Romanian Mythology and Folklore), Iana Sânziana!AU, Sun and Moon Myth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-10
Updated: 2014-11-19
Packaged: 2018-02-24 21:35:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2597216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solitariusvirtus/pseuds/solitariusvirtus, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tenten_d/pseuds/tenten_d
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Iana Sânziana is a mythological being belonging to the Romanian folklore. She is the sister of the Sun (sometimes Saint/Blessed Sun or Sun King). The Sun is in love with his sister, a maiden with silver hair. In some variants, Iana Sânziana runs away in order to avoid the sin of incest, while in other portrayals of the myth she is kidnapped by a God (seen as pagan figure) and transformed into the Moon, making it so the sun can never see her again.</p><p>This is the basic concept of my story too; only I promise you a happy ending, gentle reader. Enjoy.</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. i.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hanhreus](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Hanhreus).



> Iana Sânziana is a mythological being belonging to the Romanian folklore. She is the sister of the Sun (sometimes Saint/Blessed Sun or Sun King). The Sun is in love with his sister, a maiden with silver hair. In some variants, Iana Sânziana runs away in order to avoid the sin of incest, while in other portrayals of the myth she is kidnapped by a God (seen as pagan figure) and transformed into the Moon, making it so the sun can never see her again.
> 
> This is the basic concept of my story too; only I promise you a happy ending, gentle reader. Enjoy.

Once upon a time there lived, in a golden land at the other end of world, a King so fair that it was said one look would leave a poor man blind. He was the very Sun shining upon the sky. The King, Aegon, by his name, ruled over a land of seven kingdoms in peace and plenty. From all around the kingdoms, came subjects to kneel at his feet and gaze at his glory.

But within the castle walls, there lived another creature just as bright. Her light, though, was soft and calm, her steps quiet and her voice a whisper. Cousin to the golden Sun, Jaehaera she had been named. Jaehaera the Gentle was what they called her throughout the kingdoms, and many worthy a knight had sought her favour.

Yet the Sun King was unwilling to part with his beloved kin. It was said that he planned to wed her himself, the maiden being kept in the highest tower of the keep surrounded by seven walls constructed of seven different sorts of brick.

None had been the maiden's face since she'd been a little girl, gaily running about with blossoms in her hair.

And they longed to change that.

* * *

In a tower so high it pierced the blanket of white clouds, a maid of incomparable beauty sat on a golden-plaited chair, humming to herself a nameless tune. She wove threads of gold, carefully handling her elegantly crafted loom.

Despite the beauty of her face, the silver haired Princess wore a sadness about her, wrapping herself in a cloak of sorrow. She had long forgotten what the grass felt like underneath her feet and light had been scarce in her room, beside the glow of candles. Jaehaera the Gentle had no joy in her life, beside the golden quilt she worked on daily.

On the day of her birth, it had been prophesised that she would grow into the loveliest maiden of the land. Furthermore, she would be whisked away, taken by a Stranger into the land of forever darkness. The warning had made her parents very careful of her. They had kept her close, watched her and protected her, fending every shadow away.

Yet one day, while playing the meadows, a blood red bloom had caught Jaehaera's eye. She has touched it and from all around a thick darkness flowed towards her.

Somehow, her parents managed to save her.

They were never seen again, devoured by a cloud of black smoke.

Jaehaera would find them only if she wove a seven times seven long quilt and offered it in exchange for her parents. So said the fairies.

She had to finish her task before her seven-and-tenth nameday.

* * *

The King had built for her a high tower that was to house and protect her against whichever peril haunted her. Aegon himself would climb the seven thousand stairs every night just to make sure she was still there. It had been their routine ever since the disappearance of her parents.

On the night before she turned seven-and-ten, Jaehaera realised that her work was almost done. She would be able to complete her work, but only if she declined to converse with the King. If she spoke no words to him and worked on, by midnight she would have completed her task.

A knock came on the door. Jaehaera kept her seat, her eyes trained on the quilt. Diligent fingers continued their labour.

Aegon swept inside, a greeting on his lips. No reply came from her. "Cousin, are you unwell?" he asked. She could feel him looming over her. Again she spoke not one word. "Jaehaera." Impatience coloured his tone. "Jaehaera, speak." She did not.

After much trying, the King gave in to the demands of his raised ire. "Very well, then. You may sit here for the rest of your days. Only do not think I shall come for you again."

Just as the door slammed shut, Jaehaera pricked her finger, a red drop falling on the pure gold.

* * *

Before she could finish the last of her work, Jaehaera thought to rest her tired eyes. There was time still until midnight. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her mind quietening. Not a soul could be heard. Not a sound broke the silence.

Without wanting to, she fell asleep. The unthinking maiden did not realise her mistake until she heard the old clock ringing out, the bells tolling in the distance. Their dark keen woke her up in the middle of the night.

Horror gripped her as she counted up to twelve. She hurried back to her work. Alack, it was too late.

The faint light of the candles was blown out by an unknown force, living the radiant Jaehaera alone in a sea of darkness. The smoke came in silent waves, brushing against her skirts and skin. She shivered and tried to escape the clutch.

"Ah, sweet Jaehaera. I have waited long for this moment." The unknown voice rang out, yet she knew that only she alone could hear it. She tried calling out for help. But help was far away. If she called they would never arrive in time. They might even be injured.

"Leave me be!" she ordered.

* * *

The dawn came with its warm hues, the birds chirruped, the clouds parted and the whole land was thrown into chaos.

Despite saying the he would not come in search of her again, Aegon could not leave his beloved cousin to her fate. All seven thousand steps were climbed in an unhurried manner, a torch burning bright in his hand. The King had never thought anyone could get past the guards posted at the entrance of the tower. Nor had it been feasibly that anybody might scale the walls.

Yet, by ways unexplained, when he opened the door of his cousin's chamber, she was not in her customary place. The words of the curse rang clear in his ears. Eyes filled with disbelief fell on the golden cloth blanketing the ground.

On the vibrant gold a single spot of red, the loom on the ground and Jaehaera nowhere to be found, these were the signs of his failure.

Sick and horrified, the King drew back, the torch falling from his hand. The edge of his cousin's work burst into flame.

And so it came to pass that the fairies had spoken true. The golden Sun stood amid the flames, eyes hardening to stone.


	2. ii.

The Stranger held her close to him as they flew through an eternity of darkness, surrounded by smoke and shadows. Jaehaera had made various attempts to escape, but they had been half-hearted at best. She was well aware that were she to drop from her current place she would be lost forever. If she played along to whatever scheme the Stranger had concocted, she might have a chance of alerting her cousin of her whereabouts. That was if Aegon had even discovered yet that she was no longer in his kingdom.

"You have grown silent," her captor remarked, wide, dark wings spread above her. "Have you no more words to plead with? I was enjoying that song."

"It is a song you shall no longer hear from my lips," Jaehaera snapped, wanting to wound him in some small manner. "I shall never plead again. Certainly never shall I ask mercy of you. I don't need it."

He chuckled and squeezed her shoulders tightly. "We are almost arrived. Rally your patience, my sweet, and I shall give you my kingdom."

It stood on the tip of her tongue to tell him that he could keep his kingdom as she wanted no part of it. Still, she held her lips tightly sealed. It would do no good to speak anymore with the creature. He did not wish to listen to a word she said.

* * *

Aegon had searched for his fair cousin high and low, beyond the clouds and deep within the sea's dark depths. He had asked the birds and the leaves, the creatures of the earth and the dwellers of the night. None knew where she had been carried, the sweet Jaehaera.

Yet the King's resolve was strong. He would not stop his search until she was found and returned. His foul mood grew with each denial of knowledge though and his face darkened in fury, until his subjects could see none of the light they had so admired before within him. They all strove to find the fair Jaehaera, but dark whispers spoke of a prophecy.

"It is a fruitless search," the Lion Lord ventured to say, his golden eyes pleading the ruler to understand. Some other lords of the court added their voices to his.

Displeased, the King jumped to his feet and climbed down the steps, leaving the throne empty. "If you no longer wish to aid me, then I shall find her on my own." His declaration was met with grave silence.

Out of all his followers, it was solely his brother – younger than him but trice as cunning – who volunteered to help. "I shall follow you to the ends of the earth if I must," Viserys proclaimed. "Speak, and I am yours."

"So be it," said the King.

* * *

Within the woods liked an ancient crone, whom everyone believed had been spawned by the deepest pits of the Seven Hells. They thought her the daughter of demons. Yet she was said to see far beyond what any other eyes could see. She knew the secrets of the earth and sky, of the vast seas and the burning fire. If there was anyone who might tell the two gallant noblemen where to find the missing maiden, it was the crone.

"Come in, come in," a smooth voice welcomed them as they stood in the doorway of a rundown cottage. "Fear not, step inside."

A small, dark-skinned girl awaited them. She wore a knowing smile on her lips and her eyes drank the gold of their light in greedily. Aegon looked around, waiting to see the witch. But none beside the girl and his brother occupied the cottage.

"We have come-" Viserys began, but he was cut off.

"I know why you are here." Of course, the crone was no crone at all. "But I warn you now, I charge a fee for anything I give."

"What would you ask in return for the information that we require?" Aegon questioned, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"A trifle, nothing much." She beckoned the King closer and forced him to bend forward so she might whisper in his ear.

Amethyst eyes grew wide.

* * *

Viserys carried his brother's shield, watching as the green grass grew scarce around them. The sea of green stretched out behind them, while in front of them the deserts unfolded itself, a smooth carpet of burning sands. He wondered at the witch's request once more. She had told the King that it fell to him to set the world to rights, and that he would know what must be done at the right moment.

On the subject of their fair cousin, the witch had claimed she was in the land of shadows, beyond the court of life, in the realm of cold beauty and dark despair. Aegon had simply asked where the entrance to the other realm was, much to his brother's horror.

They would step on the domain of endless slumber, where the Stranger ruled, and his brother showed no concern at all. "Have you gone mad?" Viserys found himself asking. "Our cousin is fair, but it is the Moon that does not shine without the Sun, not the other way around."

"You are wrong in this, brother mine." Aegon stopped his charger and turned to look at Viserys. "The Sun may glow without the Moon, but its warmth will be gone."

* * *

Surrounded by all the imaginable riches of the earth, all the splendid beauty of cold light, Jaehaera was deposited in a cage with bars of gold, a pretty bird to be showered with affection and admired, but without an ounce of freedom.

She had been adorned in golden cloth, trimmed with silver lace, and her hair had been twisted and coiled and teased, jewels shining in her silver tresses. Rubies, garnets and amethysts decorated the bracelets that had been forced onto her hands – precious manacles, those were, attacked to silver chains that held her prisoner. A heavy golden chain with a myriad of precious stones had been gifted to her, offered on a silver platter.

The Stranger watched her with pride in his eyes, cooing gently at the beautiful creature he had encased in a golden prison. He brought her musical instruments, canvas, and paints, along with a tawny owls as pet. He tried his best to entertain her, but despite the gestures, Jaehaera pined for the sun, for its warm light. She pined for her cousin's kingdom and her lonely tower chamber.

"You will not plead. You will not curse. But speak of something still." The Stranger sat just outside the cage.

"What shall I speak of?" the maiden sighed, her eyes filling with tears. She knew not what words to employ, when she stood at the mercy of a stranger.


	3. iii.

Aegon stood before the gates of doom. He gripped within his steel clad fist a golden-hilted sword of Valyrian steel. The clouded sky did not allow even a sliver of light and beyond the contorted bars, somewhere in the land of death, was Jaehaera, prisoner to none other than the lord of the darkness.

His steed nickered softly, hooves scraping against the ground. Aegon could feel the beast tense under him. Ribbing a hand along its shiny coat of sable hair, the King nodded once to his brother. "Pray the gods we make it out unharmed."

"Best pray we find our cousin in that darkness," Viserys muttered under his breath. He was still unsure of the path they'd followed.

"Worry not, I'll know where she is." It was his conviction that Jaehaera was a beckon of light in the realm of the Stranger. She was bound to be the flower among stones, a single warm creature in a cold abyss. "Come brother mine. We must away."

Together they slipped past the heavy doors, two souls entering the desert of despair. The King and his brother, the valiant knight and his squire, the hero and his helper. What would be could not be avoided for it had been written in the book of life many centuries past, when the world was yet young.

* * *

The Stranger had left her in the company of the strange little owl which had been gifted to her. The bird was perched on her shoulder, presumably attracted by the warmth she produced. The fair-haired maiden reclined against soft pillows, watching from behind the bars of her cage the world around her. Gems and precious stones glittered like stars all around and a river flowed not too far away from her.

She had been warned that he who fell in its cold waters would lose all – mind and soul and life. It was an ancient water, having seen all the follies of the world, and it had been tainted by the evil. Jaehaera had seen that none dared approach. The Stranger had also told her that the river surrounded his kingdom three times around. The closer to the heart of the realm one was, the more danger those waters presented.

"I am the only one to have drunk from it," the creature had told her once. And it had frightened her.

"You do not live then," she had concluded, shuddering as fathomless eyes ghosted over her, their gaze burning.

"On the contrary, I have never been more alive." And she did not understand, not at all, how one could be both dead and alive at the same time.

"You shall learn," the Stranger had promised.

* * *

A rattle startled her, enough to make Jaehaera climb to her knees and gaze into the ever present darkness. She crawled closer to the golden bars, her silver chains rattling across the stone floor. Slim finger wrapped around beautifully crafted cold rods. The kiss of gold on her skin made her tremble.

"Who goes there?" she called out, thinking it might be one of the shadows that often travelled through the dead planes.

And suddenly on the other side of the river stood the proud Sun, his glow familiar and thrilling. Jaehaera climbed to her feet and pressed herself against the bars. He had seen her as well, for his eyes widened at her appearance and they promised retribution. But the he made to cross the water on foot and she had to yell out the knowledge which had been shared with her.

The noise had perhaps alerted the shadows, for they came pouring in. Jaehaera knew their master was not far behind. She knelt and continued to watch her King and cousin. It seemed she was not to be saved, after all.

"Ah, so you have come?" the Stranger's voice filled the space. "Only death awaits you here, King of Light. Go back. Go back!"

Surprisingly, the King replied. "I do not leave, not until you give me back that which you have stolen from my care."

* * *

It had been agreed that the Stranger and the King would dispute their claim to the dainty Moon with swords. For that the Stranger had allowed had allowed a stone bridge to be drawn over the water, but only Aegon had been allowed to cross. Viserys was to remain of the other side, despite his protests.

Steel clashed against steel and the fight grew long as both opponents were evenly matched. What the king threw, the Stranger parried and what the Stranger tried to reach, the King protected. They fought and fought, neither willing to give up. They fought until the horse grew too thirsty and drank from the cursed water, dying moments after. They fought until the owl on Jaehaera's shoulder flew away in search of food. They fought until she herself could no longer keep her eyes open.

Just when she was sure she could take no more, something happened.

The Stranger managed to knock her Aegon off his beat. She let out a panicked as the dark being fell upon the King. But she ought not to have worried for Aegon was quicker and managed to cut through the flesh of his opponent with the Valyrian steel.

Her cry of terror turned into a cheer.

And then her cage was opened and her chains were broken. And Jaehaera was free.

* * *

"There is one thing you should know," her cousin told her as he took out the gems from her hair and threw them to the ground. "Your parents," Aegon started, holding her so that she might gaze upon him, "they are shadows and if you wish you may remain with them."

A brief grief washed over her. She had thought as much. It had been her punishment for failing her task. "I shall become a shadow too someday," she replied, wrapping her arms around her saviour. "But this is not the day. Nay, my parents I shall see again when it comes the time."

They crossed the stone bride and, together with Viserys, the three made their way back to the land of those yet alive where light triumphed over dark and the world was kinder.

Jaehaera wedded her King and was crowned Queen, and together the Sun and the Moon ruled over their realm and lived many happy days. The Queen birthed her King many children, all of the brave and beautiful and kind, the image of their parents. Blessed were they with riches and prosperity and their realm was at peace.

And if they yet live, then they still rule in kind and fair manner upon all creatures of the land, from the hard-working ant to the mighty Lion.


End file.
